Naughty Neighbor
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Dear Reader:
In a previous life, before the time of Plum, I wrote twelve short romance novels. Red-hot screwball comedies, each and every one of them. Nine of these stories were originally published by the Loveswept line between the years 1988 and 1992. All immediately went out of print and could be found only at used bookstores and yard sales.
I'm excited to tell you that those nine stories are now being re-released by HarperCollins. Naughty Neighbor is the eighth in the lineup, and it's presented here in almost original form. Usually when I edit these books I do some modernizing. For instance, I change VHS to DVD, and roller skates to Rollerblades, and sticks of gum are now pieces of gum. I do this because the books were meant to be contemporary (as opposed to historical), and I don't want the reader to have a time disconnect. In the beginning of the original Naughty Neighbor, my heroine throws a handheld phone into the toilet, and the next morning she goes into the bathroom and sees the "slim silver antenna caught between the toilet lid and seat." Okay, so most phones don't have extended antennas anymore, but I just loved the image . . . so I left it in. And I don't know how many women wear front-closure bras anymore, but that got left in, too.
Naughty Neighbor is probably the most romancey of all the Loveswepts I wrote, but there's still a small mystery to unravel. Louisa Brannigan is a no-nonsense, hardworking press secretary, fighting her way to the top of Capitol Hill, with no help from her annoying neighbor, Pete Streeter. He receives phone calls all night long, he steals her morning paper, he thinks jeans are formal wear, and worst of all he's involved Louisa in the disappearance of a pig. So this is the story of a pig in Witness Protection and love being found by a workaholic woman and a fun-loving man who makes terrible pots of coffee.
Enjoy!
Janet Evanovich
Janet Evanovich
Bestselling author Janet Evanovich is the winner of the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award and multiple Romantic Times awards, including Lifetime Achievement. She is also a long-standing member of RWA.
Related to Naughty Neighbor
Related ebooks
Leaving Blue Bayou Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Matchmaker Mysteries: Books 11, Prequel, Advice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDelivering Death: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Matchmaker Mysteries: Books 1-4 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Going Down: Five Wishes, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCalamity Jayne Mysteries Boxed Set (books 1-5) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Honky Tonk Night and Murder: Parker Bell Humorous Mystery, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMatchmaker Mysteries Books 1 & 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Body in the Bog: Miss Fortune World (A Sinful Mystery) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMatchmaking Advice From Your Grandma Zelda (The Collection from the Matchmaker Mysteries) Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5On The Bayou: Miss Fortune World: SS Beauty, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHigh Stakes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghost Shadow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Goodnight Mysteries: Books 4 & 5 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Man Candy: Five Wishes, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHot Wired: Five Wishes, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBayou Valentine: Miss Fortune World: Bayou Cozy Romantic Thrills, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiamonds & Deception: Karina Cardinal Mystery, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Perfect Obsession Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Voodoo or Die: a humorous romantic mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bayou Boxed Set (Books 1 - 3): Miss Fortune World: Friends of Miss Fortune Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Deep Voodoo: a humorous romantic mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Double Down Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twice As Dead: Odelia Grey Mystery, #6 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCoal Miner's Slaughter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cement Stilettos: A Samantha Kidd Mystery: A Killer Fashion Mystery, #7 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Suspense Romance For You
The Master Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Diary of an Oxygen Thief Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5365 Days Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wicked Villain Shorts: Wicked Villains, #7 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tell Me Lies: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Professional Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Green Darkness: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pride and Pleasure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nurse: A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Submitting to Him: Book 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Damage Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Keep Her Safe: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Years to Sin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Don't Want To Know Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chill Factor: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hardy Boys Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When She Remembered Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yesterday Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Denial: Inside Out Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Erotic Romance Starter Pack Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Someone to Watch Over Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Knotted: Trails of Sin, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The A.I. Who Loved Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bound (Book 1): Sokolov Family Mafia, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eternally Bound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Things We Never Got Over: by Lucy Score - A Comprehensive Summary Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Merry Men of the Dark Web Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Riskier Business Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Naughty Neighbor
252 ratings18 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting book that makes it easy to fall for the characters and hard to put down
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wanted something light to listen to in the car, and found this at the library. It's fluff, so it worked.... I didn't really have to pay attention to keep up with the overall story. Ummm.... in fact, don't ask me what the big deal was about the pig because I'm not sure I could tell you.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5On one hand, I kind of liked this book because it had a better premise than some of the other Janet Evanovich romances I've read. I liked the mystery element, where the couple had to work together to crack a potentially dangerous situation, and I liked that the drama involved outside forces rather than the couple themselves.Somehow, I did not enjoy the couple all that much though, and I dislike the speed at which these romances develop, which is a personal preference more than a problem with the book itself. But seeing as how that's the point of a romance like this, I kinda missed out on a lot it had to offer.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ugh, this book was annoyingly cute. It's one of those romance books where "I just met you, but I love you and want to marry you". Completely unrealistic even for fiction in my opinion. It's like an hour Lifetime TV special. Total romance cheese. However, Evanovich writes very simply and her writings are easy to follow and get into. As much as I was annoyed by the story itself, I was still able to finish the book. I would recommend this book as a quick casual read to the romance/fiction reader.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My first Evanovich book, and I enjoyed it immensely. It's a nice, light, silly and quick read that brought a smile to my face. Great for in-between heavier plots and/or dud books. Would have given it 5 stars but it ended too abruptly for me. Would definitely recommend it to others though.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is my favorite early romance novel by Evanovich. Louisa can not stand her nieghbor, Pete, who happens to be her landlord. She hates his attitude, his outlook of life, and his inconsiderate behavior. She is a hard working secreatary and he is a laid-back screenwriter who is interested in a missing pig. Both embark on solving the mystery together for differnt reasons. She is fighting the feelings she feels for him and he is trying to get her to admit to those feelings. It is a great love story.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This was one of the cheesiest romance novels I've ever read. I can do cheese (I love Twilight for God's sake!) but this was over the top even for me. In addition to the romance plot line there was also a mystery plot line that seemed implausible and I had trouble following. People say that Evanovich is really funny but that wasn't true of this book.To be fair, this book was written pre-Stephanie Plum days and probably wouldn't have been rereleased if it wasn't for the success of the Stephanie Plum series. I've only read One for the Money and it was quite a bit better than this book.I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator was not good. She had an overly theatrical voice that heightened the cheesiness level that much more. I may have liked this book better if I had read the paper version.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was my first-ever Janet Evanovich book and I absolutely loved it! It was a short, quick read, packed tight with great one-liners that made me laugh out loud. Just ask my poor hubby, who had to stop what he was doing several times to listen to me read funny passages to him!
The best thing about this book was the absolute MALENESS of the "hero." Evanovich wrote his dialogue and inner thoughts just like a real guy, which completely tickled me.
My fave line:
Her: "Do you make love to women you don't love?"
Him: "Only in cases of emergency."
Awesome. This isn't a 5-star book because of extraodinary depth of characters, story or world-building. That's not what this book delivers. It's a 5-star book because it's a total crack-up and I saw myself in a lot of the neurotic behavior of the characters. Spot on! *grin* - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This book reads its age. The female lead was an annoying woman and the male, a macho asshole. I was not impressed. Fortunately, Evanovich has improved in her writing and her Plum series is one of the best.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5After once again being woken up in the middle of the night by her upstairs neighbor’s ringing phone, Lousia Brannigan opened her front door to discover her morning paper had been stolen by the same neighbor. Then her car was vandalized (his fault) and she lost her job (again, his fault), but now they were working together to find out what had happened to a diplomatic pig. Pete Streeter was intrigued by a missing pig (of all things?). As a screen writer, he spun stories all of the time, he just couldn’t follow this one. He had dug into dangerous areas, but no one had ever tried this hard to get him to back off. Phone calls in the middle of the night, vandalizing his car (well his neighbors, she was parked in his spot), and now firing his neighbor because of her association with him. Now they both wanted answers and were determined to get them. Not the same caliber of most of the re-releases are. I found this one to be more about the mystery and intrigue of the pig and not as much of the romance, or even the comedy the Janet Evanovich is most famous for although, there was a colorful secondary character that brought out a few laughs, Kurt Newfarmer. It was a quick read that won’t stick in my head for too long, so all in all, I would just give this one an adequate rating, but it is good read on a boring day.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Meh.... Cute, sometimes funny..... Not much of a plot, mostly filler not developed at all..... If you want a quick, easy, & mindless read this is it!
Let's see Lou works for a Senator who is hooked up w/ a crooked Senator. She lives in a house below Pete (a very successful screenwriter). Pete's newest project is about a screenplay from a novel written about the Crooked senator. Pete & Lou fall fast & furious for each other.
Meanwhile Pete is threatened, Lou is fired and they begin investigating the crooked Senator.... - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Although this is a reprint of one of her earlier, lighter romance novels; she still hits a homer. Light on spice, but engaging and humorous with her sparkling characters and witty dialogues
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5contemporary, romanceThis was short, more of a harlequin title length. It borders on the fantasically ridiculous. The man is an extremely hot james dean-like bad boy who happens to be a investigative reporter/screenwriter who's out to bring bad politicians down. The attraction between the characters is instantaneous, but not believable. She's either cranky or a doormat, and he's always being the stereotypical bad-boy jerk to her. There were no secondary characters of note, nor much of a plot. I thought Ms. Evanovich was supposed to be a noted romance author, but this read like a rote Harlequin from the 80s. I would give the author another chance, as I read somewhere that this might have been a reprint of a novel she wrote at the beginning of her career.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This risqué romantic romp is entertaining and a bit suggestive. Still, there is a crime that needs investigating, besides all the barbs and innuendoes the main characters throw at each other. Though not nearly as much fun as the Plum series, there is a passing nod at that series with the somewhat inept heroine, an outspoken grandmother, and a hunky guy wanting romance and more.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Another audiobook by Janet Evanovich, but this one is not in the Stephanie Plum series or the Between-the-Numbers series. Naughty Neighbor is one of Evanovich's earlier books, which have been dubbed "red-hot comedies."Louisa Brannigan is a nose-to-the-grindstone press secretary for an up-and-coming senator, Nolan Bishop. Louisa and her neighbor, Pete Streeter, are at odds, particularly since he callously snags her morning paper and receives phone calls at all hours. Streeter is a Hollywood screenwriter who has raised some eyebrows in the political arena and men are out to destroy his car and teach him a lesson he won't soon forget. However, this web grows and soon Louisa becomes embroiled in Streeter's intrigue to find a missing pig. Readers understand that the tension between these two attractive people will eventually lead to the bedroom, but what they won't predict is the internal struggles both of these characters have with commiting to a relationship. Some of my favorite points in the book are when Louisa is arguing with herself about her feelings for Streeter. At one point, she swears she has succumbed to "romantic dementia." Louisa is uptight and careful, while Streeter is relaxed and a risk taker. When these two get together, tension bursts into flames.Another light read for pure entertainment value. I'd recommend this to those reading romance novels, but are interested in a more modern day tale with a touch of humor.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Louisa Brannigan is a no-nonsense, hardworking press secretary, fighting her way to the top of Capitol Hill, with no help from her annoying neighbor, Pete Streeter. He receives phone calls all night long, he steals her morning paper, he thinks jeans are formal wear, and worst of all he's involved Louisa in the disappearance of a pig. So this is the story of a pig in Witness Protection and love being found by a workaholic woman and a fun-loving man who makes terrible pots of coffee. (AUTHOR DESCRIPTION). Evanovich wrote a group of light romance novels in the 1980's that have been reprinted. Many of the popular characters featured in her "Stephanie Plum" novels are premiered in these novels. Her sense of humor shines through in each of them and they are great fun to read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ugh, this book was annoyingly cute. It's one of those romance books where "I just met you, but I love you and want to marry you". Completely unrealistic even for fiction in my opinion. It's like an hour Lifetime TV special. Total romance cheese. However, Evanovich writes very simply and her writings are easy to follow and get into. As much as I was annoyed by the story itself, I was still able to finish the book. I would recommend this book as a quick casual read to the romance/fiction reader.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Louisa's upstairs neighbor is giving her fits. The worst thing is the day he steals her newspaper. She is up for a confrontation then only to see him and realize he's gorgeous. He likes her, too, but both try to deny their feelings because the other is the opposite of him/her. Pete, the upstairs neighbor, is a screenwriter and working on the mystery of a pig who went missing. He pulls Louisa into his investigation, only to become overprotective and realize he has come to love her. Can he keep her safe? Can he get her to marry him?I enjoyed this story. It is madcap and crazy and fun. I like Louisa and Pete. I laughed as they got into some predicaments. Louisa's dream of her wedding is a hoot. Her Grandma Brannigan is also. The story is crazy so suspend belief but it is perfect for a summer day on the patio or beach.